Educational Study Trip for Ephesus Tour Guides

Recently as Ephesus Tour guides we organized an educational study trip to Ephesus with an expert archaeologist Cengiz Icten who worked at Ephesus over 20 years as Museum Director.
As professional Ephesus tour guides who conduct mostly private tours of Ephesus and some of us also work for agencies that organize group tours to Ephesus we have to update ourselves with the new discoveries and also refresh our memories with some of the information which has already been there for years.
This particular tour to Ephesus with an expert guide was mostly concentrated on Terrace Houses section of Ephesus but since we are already at the Site we said we might as well ask some other questions in mind generally about Ephesus.
I decided to record the sound and video of this educational tour exclusively organized for private guides for Ephesus. And it was a 170 minute long informative sound recording and videos.
There was so much information about Ephesus that we use as tour guides, but also so many more that most of us would hear for the first time. 
I decided to divide the whole video shoot into smaller chapters, then I separated them by order in categories about certain subjects.
Since there are over 50 videos, I will divide them into at least 5 groups and I will publish them in forms of blog articles in series.
Here are the 5 groups that this sequel will follow

Article 1
​The small artifacts and details that we hardly notice while we tour Ephesus as tour guides but never realized what they are for and what’s the story behind their discoveries

Article 2 
will be with these Topics is about the Water Sources both for the City and the Terrace Houses at Ephesus

Article 3
Will mostly be about the general use of the Terrace Houses at Ephesus Ancient City, the physical conditions such as size, timelines etc.
Restoration and preservation at Terrace Houses in Ancient Ephesus.

Article 4
Will be about the areas that our Ephesus Expert Guide Mr. Icten worked on excavations and about his memories.
some unknown areas yet to be discovered around Ephesus.
What are the effects of technology to Archaeology
The structure he thought  was the Synagogue of Ephesus.
Stoa of Alitarc at the entrance of Ephesus Terrace Houses.
The Turkish Movie that was filmed here at Ephesus Ancient City in the 70s.
His thoughts on delivering the information about Ephesus to tourists on our private tours to Ephesus city.

Article 5
City’s surroundings
City’s defence walls - later city walls and one of the gates of the city.
How were the communication lines between Ephesus and other cities around Ephesus.
Where were the Graveyards?
Where were the Marble Quarries?

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So here I start with my Article 1 discussing
​The small artifacts that are either small or just left lying around without any info boards.
So we hardly notice while we tour Ephesus as tour guides but never realized what they are for and what’s the story behind their discoveries.
Here I unveil the information about The hidden artifacts  we as Ephesus tour guides are unable to see or show during our regular tours.

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Pieces Laying Around

Among these we have the millstones
​In this video he talks about grinding stones that were found at Ephesus.
There are 2 grinding stones they found at Ephesus.
One is Circular (Rotary) Quern with a grinding stone below. And above is a circle with a hole at the top. This one is a typical Roman period grinding stone.
But also apart from that one,  there is also a Hellenistic period grinder called 'hopper-rubber' mill stones.

In the center they place a handle that is tied from one side moving left and right.
The bottom parts of the stone are chiseled with a grip.

This is an important quern stone, there is also one at the back of Ephesus Museum.
There is also another type called Donkey Mill run by donkeys or mules, they are larger scale stones.
​In the 80s, there was an English researcher studying these mill stones with his wife. He prepared an article about these and unfortunately he died in a traffic accident, his wife had sent the article to Mr. Icten later.

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The Garland Blocks in front of the Celsus Library.
​In this video he talks about the Garland adorned pieces in front of the library.
They belong to the facade of the Octogon used as the tomb of Cleopatra's sister Arsinoe.

There are some other round pieces beyond them belong to the Water Clock that was originally located at the Market Place. The whole water clock was taken from Ephesus to Vienna.

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The Amphoras with holes behind the Octogan
Right behind the Octagon, there are large Vessel Amphoras
above those Amphoras there are holes.
According to latest researches during the last years these amphoras with holes were used At the marble cutting studio, While they cut the marble the powder and marble dust is prevented to fly around and end up at the harbor area with the winds. ​

So they collect the marble dust in these amphoras to be used on stucco fresco wall paintings and on mosaic floors as an adhesive.

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Carved Shapes

The initials on the Marble Block
In this video he talks about the Initial signs on the stone blocks on the floor.
this signs belong to the masons that mark these stones to be paid. We have 5 or 6 with the same name.

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What are the Pizza Pie looking carvings that we see  on the Marble floors at Ephesus while touring?
​Here we walk at the Harbor Street and Cengiz Icten suggests if we walk towards the West towards the see along the Harbor Street of Ephesus we are able to see over 600 board games carved on the marble floor. This game is often interpreted as the Christian Symbol ICHTYS stands for the FISH.

However According to Mr. Icten it's only a board game but calling it ICHTYS a Christian Symbol is guide's story.

And in here there is a question raised,  if there is any symbol of Christianity carved on the marbles elsewhere in Ephesus city.
He answers yes, there is one at the Terrace Houses, a symbol of Fish is depicted over there.
Is fish completely Christian symbol then?
Yes, ​​

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How many Jewish Menorah carvings are there at Ephesus? And Is there a synagogue?
in this video he talks about a Menorah on this column.
By coincidence he just sat there one day at 11 am, and he saw this menorah.
You can only see these types of carvings on marble with certain sunlight available.

There are 6 menorahs known at Ephesus today.
One is at the stairs of the Celsus Library.
One is at the Marble Street Columns
One is at the Harbor Street
One is at the Mazeus Mithridates Gate
And 2 of them in Domitian Temple's gallery on the Marble block

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The scene with a female and a male contact
In this type of Ancient cities, some particular scenes depicting explicit scenes are famous such as examples in Pompeii.
At Ephesus the one and only example is located on a wall right behind the Tomb of Arsinoe (Sister of Cleopatra). Since it is on the other side of the wall inside the Terrace Houses, visitors are not able to see that example.

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​In here he talks about a detail at the Temple of Hadrian.
The central relief at the Pediment of the Temple is one the iconic symbols of Ephesus.
It is a face looking like the Medusa's face because of the scrambled hairdo however Cengiz İcten also states that the relief belongs to a local deity called Flora, a local goddess for abundance.
​And it is a deification scene probably for Hadrian's lover Antonius.

Inscriptions

Inscriptions The grave stones laying on the floors
in this video he talks about tomb stones on the floor of the road.
how you can figure if a block of stone is a tombstone.
There is an inscription that writes 'Zotsin', 
For himself and for his wife he had his tombstone built before he dies. ​

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The marble block with Inscription in front of the Nero Stoa
While standing in front of Celsus Library, over the Wall there is a block with an inscription that most people are unfamiliar with.
Some guides suggest it was Aramaic because of the different shaping of the letters.

This particular inscription is suggested to be from Late Roman, Byzantine period from Christian era.
At the upper part it is written in Capital letters above, and below are the shorthand handwritten with small letters of the same text.
​It is probable that the inscription is from  5th century AD. Maximianus period.

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Prayers of Ephesians
At the entrance of Terrace Houses, there is a lento.
There is an inscription saying 'Agathe Tyxhe'.
In translation it is a wish of good luck.
​Gods may help.
In Islamic Cultures if we translate it we call it 'Besmele'. Starting every act with the name of God. 'Bismillahirahmanirrahim'.